Over the Years
by Skyfire5
Summary: This story follows the Marauders from their 5th year to their 7th, and possibly beyond.
1. Author's Note

Author's Note  
  
This is my first story to put on this site, but is not my first story ever written. I do not consider myself an 'excellent author', but my friends and family all say I have a way with words. The following is some things you might want to know before reading my story. If any of this bugs you, feel free to stop reading and find another story.  
  
I despise Lily lovers. These are people who make Lily out to be some sort of goddess. She appears to be the most popular girl in school and is the perfect person. This is not stated in the book, she just happens to be the girl James likes.  
  
Also, Lily does NOT know about Remus' secret. James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus would never tell her unless they had a good reason to. You will not find in this story that she finds out about Remus' secret unless they tell her, which they most likely will not.  
  
I believe that Lily is in Gryffindor. Some people may say that James was the Gryffindor Prefect, so Lily couldn't be in his house. This entire sentence is untrue. For one, Remus is Gryffindor prefect, not James. James is Head Boy in his seventh year, but is never a prefect. Plus, there are two prefects from each house, a boy and a girl. So Lily was in Gryffindor and was a prefect along with Remus.  
  
Finally, Lily hates James and isn't even friends with the Marauders until the seventh year, when she goes out with James. In this story, Lily will not be hanging out with the Marauders until the seventh year. Besides, this story is foccusing mainly on the Marauders, and not Lily, anyway.  
  
Thank you for taking the time to read all of my beliefs and the things I despise. I would love it if you reviewed my first chapter, which I have already started and hope to get up very soon! 


	2. The Potion

"I don't believe it. I can't believe we really did it!"  
  
"This is supposed to be advanced magic, but we did it!"  
  
"This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"  
  
Four boys sat in the middle of an empty classroom at Hogwarts, three with a glass of a thick, orange substance and the fourth stirring a large cauldron of the same material. "Come on, James, you drink it first!" said the boy on the right, a tall and handsome boy with longish dark brown hair and brown eyes. The boy he was talking to, James, sat on the left. He had untidy black hair that refused to stay neat and wire-rimmed glasses framed his hazel eyes. He, like the boy on the right, was tall and skinny. "Sirius, if this goes horribly wrong, it's all your fault." James said, glaring at the boy on the right, Sirius. Then, with a look of nervousness, he put the glass to his mouth and drank every last drop.  
  
At first, it appeared that nothing had happened. The boy in the middle opened his mouth to say something but immediately closed it when he saw what was happening to James. James' body was rapidly growing unusual features, and just as quickly, they would shrink and disappear. First, large antlers started to grow out of his head. They disappeared and soon the boy's skin had turned a light-brown color. As his skin turned back to normal, his arms and legs grew skinnier and started to form hooves where his hands and feet should have been.  
  
The middle boy stared, wide eyed, at James. "He's a... a..." The word was right on the tip of his tongue, and luckily, Sirius knew what exactly James was. "He's a stag." He breathed.   
  
By that time, James had stopped transforming and was back to his normal state. He stared at his friends, saying, "Wow, that was awesome! A picture of a stag kept running through my head as I watched myself transform." The boy who had been stirring the cauldron was silent until then. He took out a piece of parchment and a quill and jotted something down, saying it aloud as he wrote. "James - Stag." He set down his quill and looked at the other two boys. "Who's next?" He asked. Sirius, known for his boldness and sense of adventure, grinned at the rest of them and drank the contents of his glass.  
  
Just like what happened to James, Sirius started growing animal parts. His nose and mouth elongated to form a muzzle. Little black ears grew on top of his head. His hands shrunk, forming paws. The middle boy, who managed to get by on barely passing grades, took a guess as to what Sirius was becoming. "Wolf? Sirius is a wolf!" James laughed. "No, Peter," he said, looking at the middle boy, who was now blushing, "Try something a little smaller. He's a dog." Sirius had stopped transforming and was now staring at his hands, shock on his face. "Good job, Jamsie, you figured it out!" Sirius exclaimed, calling James his little nickname. James glared at Sirius, then turned to the boy who had stirred the cauldron. "Ok, Remus, you can put Sirius here down as an idiot, I mean, dog." He grinned at Sirius, who was looking furious at the 'idiot' comment. Remus watched the two for a second, used to the two best friends' constant bickering.  
  
Remus had light brown hair and intelligent gray eyes. His face was slightly pale and he often looked tired and ill. He was the only person in the group who would not be taking the potion, and he didn't need to. The potion was very dangerous and one little mistake could turn it into a deadly poison. The potion was used to turn the drinker into an Animagus, a person who can turn into an animal by will. James could, of course, turn into a stag, and Sirius could turn into a dog. They had yet to find out about Peter, but Remus wouldn't take the potion, because he was a werewolf.  
  
Remus sighed, knowing that the two would never change. "Alright, Peter. Your turn." Peter, the short blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy who was the coward of the group, stared at Remus as though he had just ordered his death. His already pale face turned, if possible, even paler. "M-me? Ca-can't this w-wait till t-tomorrow?" He stuttered. James glanced at Peter, surprise on his face. "Come on, Peter. Be brave...for once." Peter glared at James, wishing that he didn't have to do this. Slowly, he lifted the glass up to his mouth and tipped the contents down his throat.  
  
Peter's form was obvious from the beginning. He grew little pink ears and a long bald tail formed. James, Sirius, and Remus watched Peter, then said in unison, "Rat." When Peter stopped transforming, he lay on the ground, breathing hard. When he had caught his breath, he managed to whisper, "Yup."   
  
James, Sirius, and Remus helped Peter to his feet, then the boys high-fived each other. Remus grinned at his friends, amazed that the potion worked so well. Then he said, "Hogwarts now has three unregistered Animagi running around on its grounds." James laughed and put his arm around Remus. "Yeah, three Animagi and one werewolf. Pretty good, I think." Sirius smiled and waved his wand. Suddenly, four bottles of Butterbeer appeared in front of them. The four picked up their Butterbeers and started to drink.   
  
Outside the door, the boys heard voices. "Peeves, you better be telling the truth. No tricks, ok?" The voice was high-pitched, a girl's voice. James froze, his face pale. "Lily Evans." He whispered. The others stared at him, white with shock. Sirius stared at James. "She's a prefect... If she finds out about the potion, she could get us detention, or get us..." He stopped, looking at Remus for support. Beyond the door, another, deeper voice responded. "I swear, I saw ickle students come in here. Can you get them a detention? Please???" Remus set down his bottle of Butterbeer. "Expelled. She could get us expelled."  
  
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I hope you liked the first chapter! I will start on the second chapter and get it up ASAP! Please review! If you want to criticize, please make it constructive criticism or start it with a compliment. Thanks for reading! 


	3. Nicknames

Not pausing to think, James did the first thing that came to his mind. He whispered, "Accio Cloak," and watched as his invisibility cloak flew from across the room and settled over the four boys, hiding them and the cauldron, from view. Suddenly, the classroom door flew open and light flooded into the dark room. There in the doorway stood Lily Evans, Peeves the school poltergeist close behind her. Lily's emerald green eyes scanned the room, then rounded on Peeves. "This isn't funny, Peeves. You wasted my time by making me come here, when I could be catching up on my Potions homework." Lily glared at Peeves, who just floated there, dumbfounded. "But I could have sworn..." He started, but Lily cut him off. "That's nice, Peeves, but I must go now. Goodbye and good night." She turned and walked away, flipping her dark red hair over her shoulder before disappearing around a corner. Not long after, Peeves glided away, most likely to cause some mischief.   
  
James let out a sigh of relief, before pulling the cloak off of them. The four boys begin to clean up in silence, all still in shock from such a close encounter. James and Sirius stored the cauldron inside a large cupboard, while Remus and Peter gathered all of the potion ingredients. Finally, they were ready to head back to the Gryffindor Common Room.  
  
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They got back to the common room with out any incidents. As soon as they entered the room, James and Sirius flopped down onto a nearby couch, exhausted from the day's work. Remus sat down in a large armchair, while Peter settled himself on the floor.  
  
Remus looked around at his friends. "We need nicknames. Something we can call each other so that no one knows who we are talking about." Sirius glanced at James, a grin on his face. "Well, James already has a nickname. You know - Jamsie." James glared at Sirius, but didn't bother to respond. "How about nicknames relating to our Animagi forms." He paused, shooting an apologetic look at Remus, "And Remus can have a name that relates to a werewolf." Remus stared into the fire, deep in thought. "Werewolf... full moon... moon... I know, how about Moony?" James nodded. "Great, now how about me? Stag... Antlers? No..." Peter looked up at him, his eyes bright. "Prongs." He whispered. Sirius and Remus stared at him, surprised. James looked thoughtful. "Nice name, Peter. Alright, I'm Prongs. Now we need one for Peter." Peter rested his head on his hands. "Rats have long tails... hairless tails, like worms... Wormtail!" Peter looked up, surprised at his own cleverness. Sirius clapped softly, then fell into his own thoughts, thinking of a name. "Dog, black dog. Big dog... paws... padded paws..." James coughed and mumbled something that sounded a lot like 'Paddy'. Sirius glared at James, then continued. "Paddy feet, Pad feet, Pad foot... Yeah, that's it, Padfoot." Sirius grinned at the rest of them, glad that they all had nicknames.   
  
Remus looked at each of his friends individually, saying their name when he looked at them. "Padfoot, Prongs, Wormtail. It'll take us awhile to keep saying Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, so I was thinking we could call ourselves something. Something like... the Marauders. It means mischief." He explained, seeing their confused looks. The four boys grinned at each other, happy that things had gone so well that day.  
  
The silence was broken when James hit his forehead with his hand and muttered various swear words under his breath. "Guys, I... I left my invisibility cloak back in the classroom." The three other Marauders turned to look at him. Sirius was the first to speak. "Well, Prongs, my friend, I guess we'll just have to go and get it. It's no big deal." Moony, who was usually calm and composed, was fidgeting in his chair. "I don't know, Padfoot, something doesn't feel right." Sirius stood up, along with James, who was following his lead. Peter, who was watching them with wide eyes at the thought of sneaking out once more, hesitated, but stood up all the same. Finally, Remus stood up as well. The Marauders pushed open the portrait hole and stepped out into the deserted corridor.  
  
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The four boys walked out of the classroom, cloak in hand. A movement to their left caught their attention. "What the-" Sirius started as a shadowy figure started to sprint down the corridor away from them. They managed to glimpse the figure's dark, greasy hair and dirty robes with the Slytherin House emblem on the chest. James pulled out his wand and saw Sirius and Remus do the same. James looked at his friends, his expression a mixture of anger and disgust. "Snivellus." He said, breaking into a run.  
  
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Well, I hope you like it so far! I've been working all day to get this up! I won't work much more after I get this up because my friend is coming over (Yes, I do have a social life)! Please read and review! 


	4. The Encounter

James ran down the corridor, Sirius at his heels. Remus was a few inches behind, while Peter lagged a foot or two behind. After a few minutes, they managed to catch up with the shadowy figure, Severus Snape, or 'Snivellus', as Sirius and James say. Severus was staring at them, back against a wall, trapped in a dead end. His eyes were wide with fear as he eyed their wands uneasily. He opened his mouth to say something, but only a small squeak came out. Snape cleared his throat and tried again. "L-Let me g-go, or I'll hex y-you. I sw-swear, I will." By then, Snape was clearly shaking in fear and looked as though he would rather be anywhere but there. James laughed. "Yeah, right, Snivellus. The first spell you try should be to help your greasy hair."   
  
Severus glared at the Marauders for a second, still shaking, then seemed to compose himself. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it straight at James. Sirius saw what Severus was about to do and reacted like lightning. At the same time Severus cast the Jelly-Legs Hex, Sirius cast the Fire Charm. The two spells deflected off of each other, causing Snape's robes to ignite while Peter got the full blast off the Jelly-Leg Hex. Severus shrieked, trying to stomp out the flames. James and Sirius laughed, then turned to help Remus, who was trying to help Peter walk slowly back to the common room.  
  
The four boys had been walking for about half an hour. Due to Peter's jelly-legs, they couldn't walk very fast. Suddenly, a voice behind them made them stop. "Well, boys, what are we doing walking around school in the middle of the night?" The Marauders whipped around to face the stranger. In the dim lighting, the woman's face looked deadly.  
  
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Professor McGonagall waited for the four boys to enter her office, then closed the door. She waved her wand and four wooden chairs appeared in front of her desk. She indicated that the boys sit down in them before sitting down in her own chair. They were silent for a moment before McGonagall began to speak. "Why were you boys wandering around at night? Would someone care to explain? Potter, Black?" She stared at James and Sirius, making them squirm in their seats. "What about you, Pettigrew? Or you, Lupin? I would have thought better of you, Remus. You are a prefect, you have to prevent this sorts of thing, not encourage it." She shifted her gaze to stare instead at Peter and Remus. Remus put on his most innocent-looking expression and started to make up a story explaining why they were out of their beds. "Well, you see, Professor, Peter was messing around with his wand, and accidentally cast a spell on his legs. He woke us up, but we couldn't remember the counter-curse, so we decided to take him down to the hospital wing." James and Sirius glanced over at Remus, surprised at how convincing the story was. Professor McGonagall nodded, looking convinced. "Oh, well, alright. But next time something like this happens, try talking to another prefect, someone like Lily Evans." James choked at the sound of her name, while Sirius and Remus held back laughs. The Marauders knew that James had had a crush on Lily since their fourth year. McGonagall stared at James. "What, is there something wrong with Miss Evans? She is such a sweet girl, I can't imagine anyone not liking her." James shook his head. "No, there isn't anything wrong with her. We'll be sure to keep that in mind, thank you." The four boys stood up and started to walk out of the room. Peter stopped in the doorway and turned around. "Professor?" Professor McGonagall looked up. "Yes, Peter?" Peter looked down at his jelly-like legs for a second before asking politely, "Can you take this curse off of me?"  
  
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Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know, nothing really happened, but next chapter will have classes and pranks! Also, I said I don't like Lily Lovers, and then I made Professor McGonagall love Lily, but that's just because all the teachers in my story love Lily because she's so nice and such a good student. One last thing: I have decided how far to take this story! I'm going to take it to *his* death in the fifth book and then have a little part of Harry's seventh year as the last chapter! I *might* go on if I get enough reviews! Next chapter coming soon! 


	5. The Quill

The next morning, James opened his eyes and jumped when he saw Sirius' face peering back at him. Sirius smiled. "Good, you're awake. We need time to execute our prank." James sighed, tired but not wanting to miss out on their newest prank on Snape. He rubbed his eyes and glanced around the room. Sunlight was streaming through the windows, shedding light on Peter and Remus' empty beds. Quickly, he got dressed and went down into the common room to head down to breakfast with Sirius.  
  
James and Sirius walked into the Great Hall, ignoring the admiring looks cast their way. They had learned over the years not to pay any attention to the dozens of female admirers. They spotted Remus and Peter ad went to go sit with them. "Hello, Sirius. Morning, James, you slept a bit late." Remus greeted them cheerfully, bitting into his muffin. Peter didn't notice them as he was trying to flirt with a seventh year girl, who was obviously not interested.  
  
James looked around and spotted the target of their prank, Snivellus. He poked Sirius, who followed his gaze and grinned. James pulled out his wand and muttered, "Accio Quill." Severus' quill flew unnoticed out of his bag and into James' outstretched hand. "Perfect." He said, staring at the quill in his wand.  
  
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While James walked to Double Potions with his friends, he spotted Severus a few feet ahead of him. James ran up to Severus, quill in hand. "Snivellus! Snivellus! You dropped your quill, so I picked it up. Here you go!" James deposited the quill into Severus' hand and walked back to his friends, laughing silently. "Mission accomplished," he said.  
  
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The Marauders walked into Professor Kessel's potions classroom and silently took a seat. They had positioned themselves so that they could glance over at Severus and watch their prank in action. As soon as everyone had taken their seats, Professor Kessel began to pass out their practice test for the upcoming end-of-term final. When he had finished, the room was silent, all eyes on their paper, except, of course, the Marauders, who kept staring at Severus' paper. Severus was writing so fast, he didn't even bother reading what he had written. He just answered all the questions and turned in the test. Professor Kessel took Severus' paper and began to grade it. Suddenly, he exploded with anger. "I have no idea WHAT you are playing at, Mr. Snape, but this certainly is not appropriate. 'I am a snivelly noodlebrain'? What sort of nonsense is this? And there's more! 'I haven't washed my hair in a year', really, that's disgusting. 'Professor Kessel is fat and ugly'? I hope you do not really think that. I'm sorry, Mr. Snape, but I'm forced to give you a detention. You will report to my office every night for three weeks. Maybe you will learn some manners." By then, the entire class was staring at Severus, some with looks of disgust on their faces, others laughing loudly. James and Sirius grinned at each other, proud of their work. Professor Kessel was so angry that he let the class out early, telling people they could finish their test next time.  
  
As they walked out of the room, James and Sirius were happily discussing the incident, while Peter listened eagerly, occasionally voicing his opinions. Remus just listened, smiling and shaking his head. Slowly, they made their way up to the North Tower for their Divination class.  
  
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Here is yet another chapter! I hope you like this one as much as you liked the other ones (Assuming you liked the other chapters...)! Thank you all for the reviews! I'm going to make this short so I have more time to write the next chapter!   
  
Thanks to my friends Kelsey and Laura for ideas for the pranks! 


	6. Seeing Death

Finally, the Marauders reached the little trapdoor that lead up into their Divination classroom. The rest of their Gryffindor classmates were standing there as well, chatting away with their friends. After a few minutes, the trapdoor opened and revealed a stairway. The Marauders walked into the classroom, suddenly overwhelmed with fumes and heat. The boys sat down around a table at the back of the room. Professor Traum, their teacher, waited for them to settle down before begining. "Welcome, class. Today we will continue our lesson on tea leaves. Please depict what your leaves say, then write it down. You may begin." Sirius waited for her to finish before turning towards James. "Ready?" Sirius asked. James nodded. "Ok, let's do it." James and Sirius took out their wands and started to charm the tea leaves they would be using. If done correctly, everybody who tries to see their future would end up seeing the Grim, the symbol of death.  
  
Sure enough, a few minutes into the class, a Gryffindor girl started shrieking, her face pale. "Professor, Professor! I think I see the Grim!" Professor Traum rushed over to the girl, peering into her teacup. "My dear, I'm afraid that is the Grim. It means that an early death is heading your way." The girl started to sob, but was drowned out by the voices of about 9 other students, all saying, "Professor, I think I have the Grim too..." The rest of the class went on like that. Student after student found a Grim in their cup while Professor Traum kept muttering something about an 'evil plot to kill us all.' The only people who did not see the Grim were the Marauders themselves, but no one seemed to notice. James and Sirius laughed, and even Remus chuckled a bit. Peter just faked a smile, thinking how it would feel if he had found a Grim in his cup.   
  
All too soon, the class ended. The Marauders packed their bags and left the overheated classroom, James and Sirius talking excitedly. "Next up, lunch, then our favorite class, Transfiguration." James told Sirius. "Yeah, Transfiguration. It's so much fun because it's so easy, compared to becoming..." Sirius lowered his voice. "Animagi." James nodded, looking around in case anyone was listening. All he saw, however, were a couple first years who were watching him intently, blushing when they realized that he was watching them. James smiled politely at them, watching as their faces turned beet red and they hurried away.   
  
Not watching where he was going, James slammed right into the doors leading to the Great Hall. A few people laughed, including Severus Snape, who happened to be walking past. James glared at him, his eyes flaming. "Watch it, Snivellus. You don't want to find another quill like that one in Potions, do you?" Severus stopped in his tracks, turning to face James. "Wait a minute, you were the one who messed up my quill?"   
  
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Well, I have to say, I've written alot today. This is the third chapter I've written today! And I'm still writing! Anyway, I hope you don't mind my short chapters. I like to end most of my chapters in suspense, or at least at a good stopping point. Finding a spot that either leaves the reader in suspense or is a good place to stop writing is hard, especially since I can't stop writing when I'm on a roll, which I am now. I'm sorry if I'm rambling, or if this isn't making any sense. I really don't know what to say, so I guess I'll just say this: Please read and review! Enjoy the next chapter which I will start after my five-minute break! 


	7. Off By Three

James grinned. "Well, who else would have the brains to do it?" Severus sneered. "Brains? Yeah, right. I bet you don't even know the symptoms of a werewolf." James laughed, thinking of all the time he spent with Remus during the full moons. "Oh yeah? Well, as a matter of fact I do, thanks to the fact that my friend Remus here-" Sirius, who had been watching silently until then, stepped in. "Is very hungry, which is why we have to go." By then, Remus and Peter had caught up with them. "Hey, guys! What's going on?" Remus asked, eyeing Severus. Sirius cleared his throat. "Oh, nothing, nothing at all. Come on, let's go eat." Sirius said, pulling on Remus' arm to get him to go inside the Great Hall.  
  
"What was that all about?" Remus asked as soon as they were seated in the Hall. James blushed, looking down at his mashed potatoes. "I almost told him your secret." Remus stared at him, eyes wide with shock, and didn't say anything. "I'm really sorry, Moony. It was an accident." James continued, looking at Remus, his eyes pleading for forgiveness. Remus smiled at James, knowing that James' apology was sincere. "It's alright. But don't look so gloomy, we have the full moon tonight to look forward to. Tonight you'll be able to use your Animagi powers for the first time!" James grinned, glad that Remus believed in forgiving and forgetting.  
  
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The Marauders entered Professor McGonagall's classroom, eager for the class to start. When they had taken their seats, Professor McGonagall began to tell them about their lesson of the day. "Today we will be learning about Animagi, wizards who can turn into animals at will." The Marauders exchanged looks, Peter's nervous, Sirius' and James' amused. "There are only seven Animagi currently living in England." Sirius chuckled softly and whispered, "Only off by three, not bad." James laughed, making a few curious faces turn around to stare at him. One of those faces was Lily's. "What's so funny, Potter?" She hissed. James stopped laughing, glaring at her instead. "None of your business, Evans." Lily eyed him, not convinced, but faced towards the front of the room all the same.  
  
"Becoming an Animagus is incredibly hard work. None of you would be able to pull it off. Any little mistake could be deadly. I would advise you not to try this yourselves. Oh, class is over, time to go. Your homework tonight is to write a 2-page essay on what an Animagus is and why you should never attempt to become one yourself without consulting the Ministry first." Professor McGonagall finished her lesson and watched her students leave her classroom.  
  
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"That was the best lesson ever, don't you think, Padfoot?" James asked, laughing. "It was great! But Professor McGonagall acted as though it was impossible for fifth years to become Animagi. But look at us! We pulled it of, didn't we?" Sirius answered, also laughing. Remus listened to their conversation for a little bit before saying, "Our next class is Defense Against the Dark Arts, my favorite class. I wonder what we will be learning about today?" Sirius grinned, looking at Remus. "Professor Difesa said we would be learning about werewolves this week. It should be right up your alley, Moony." Remus groaned, not looking forward to a week of learning about werewolves, a subject he already knew much about.  
  
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I'm finally done with this chapter! Thanks again for all of your reviews, you guys are so kind! I hope you were able to handle my bad writing, I'm kind of tired and I've lost my train of thought. Just look at me, rambling on again about how bad my writing is, when you must like it if you've stuck with me this far! Thanks again for all your support, I will start the next chapter soon! 


	8. Falling in Fantasies

'The clouds parted, revealing the full moon. A young boy looked up, dreading the effects of the moon. Suddenly, he started to shake violently. His muscles tensed, his teeth elongated. Thick gray fur covered his body. A bushy tail grew, making the boy human no more. Standing in a pile of ripped clothes, the same ones the boy had worn only moments before, was a werewolf. He raised his head and sang out a slow, deep howl, a hunt song. The werewolf lowered his head and sniffed the air. The werewolf turned towards the scent and bounded into the forest.  
  
- Flash -  
  
A little boy, looking to be about six or so, sat near the perimeter of the forest. He was staring up at the full moon, eating his turkey sandwich, not a care in the world. A low growl coming from the forest made the boy look around in fear. Standing before him was a full-grown werewolf. His parents had told him a million times, 'If you see a werewolf, be quiet and don't move.' But the only thing that went through the boy's mind was, 'RUN.' So, of course, the six-year-old stood up and ran. Glancing behind him, he saw the werewolf charging at him, only a few inches behind. Suddenly, the boy tripped over a branch and went flying. He hit his head on a rock and his vision started to fade. The last thing he remembered was the pain of the werewolf's bite, the sound of the back door of his house opening, and his mother's screams. "Remus! Remus..." '  
  
"Remus!" Remus' eyes flew open to see his entire class staring at him, including their Defense Against the Dark arts teacher, Professor Difesa, who was looking wide-eyed and concerned. "Remus, are you ok? Do you need to go see Madam Pomfrey?" Professor Difesa asked. Remus shook his head, wincing as a bolt of pain shot through his body. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt." Professor Difesa looked around the room. "Black, Potter, take him to the hospital wing. The rest of you, show's over, let's get back to work."  
  
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James, Sirius, and Remus left the classroom, but instead of heading towards the hospital wing, they headed towards the Gryffindor Common Room. They had walked half of the way without saying a word when James broke the silence. "What was that all about, Moony?" Remus looked at James, then at Sirius, who was staring intently at him. "I- I was having flashbacks of my childhood. I saw the day I became a werewolf, and the day I almost got killed for accidentally eating a muggle farmer's sheep." James and Sirius stared at him, shocked. James was the first to speak. "It was so weird. One minute, you were reading your book on werewolves, and the next..." James' voice trailed off, leaving Sirius to finish the tale. "Your body went all rigid, and your eyes closed. Then you started screaming, screaming like you were feeling pain like no other." Sirius looked away, his eyes dark, remembering the event.   
  
Finally, they reached the portait hole. The boys went inside and sat Remus down on the couch. "Maybe this has something to do with the approaching full moon. Has this ever happened to you before?" James asked. Remus shook his head, not wanting to tell them about the time when he had fallen into a trance just like that, and had ended up killing his own father. "Look, you guys, I appreciate your help, but I really don't want to talk about it right now. I'm going to bed, I'll see you tonight during the full moon." Remus got up, his head still spinning. Slowly, he walked up the stairs and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.  
  
"Think he's hiding something?" Sirius asked James, curious about Remus' strange behavior.  
  
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Ok, it's just about time for me to go to bed, but I just had to finish this chapter. It's kinda weird, I know, but weirdness is the spice of life! Or is that variety... Oh well, bear with me. I'll start working on the next chapter tomorrow ASAP, and I hope I can get another few chapters up tomorrow. I got quite a few chapters done today (five) and I hope to get that much or maybe even more done tomorrow! By the way, thanks once again for the reviews!   
  
I'd like to say hello to my friend Sarah, from camp! You are a great friend and I appreciate your feedback! Thanks!  
  
I'd also like to say thanks to my friends Laura and Kelsey for help with the pranks! Laura made up the Divination prank, and Kelsey made up the Potions prank! Thanks again!  
  
One last thing, ' TEXT ' is thought. 


	9. Dark Horizon

"Remus, Remus wake up." Slowly, Remus opened his eyes. Standing before him was James, a napkin full of chicken legs in his hand. "Here's some food for you. Dinner ended an hour ago, so they may be a bit cold." James handed Remus the chicken, then walked across the room to sit on his bed. After a few minutes of silence, the only sound being Remus eating his chicken, James glanced at his watched and cried out, "Ten o'clock?!? We need to get you out to the shack. Sirius and Peter are waiting down in the common room." Remus sighed and got up, then accompanied James to the common room. There they saw Sirius and Peter finishing up their homework. Sirius looked up at Remus and James, then started to put away his homework. Peter smiled at them, then put away his homework as well. Finally, they were ready to go out to the shack.  
  
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James and Sirius glanced at Remus every few seconds the entire walk there, as if afraid he would space out again. When they had reached the shack, Peter transformed into a rat and prodded the knot on the whomping willow that would freeze the tree. Then, the boys headed inside to wait for Remus' transformation. After waiting for about half an hour, Remus started to shake. Just like in his flashback, Remus' muscles tensed and he started to transform into a werewolf. James, Sirius, and Peter looked at each other and silently agreed to transform. They concentrated on their animal forms, and soon, the room held a rat, a werewolf, a stag, and a dog.  
  
The werewolf growled at the rat, who squeaked and scampered under the bed. The werewolf snarled, then turned towards larger prey, the stag. The werewolf bunched up his muscles, ready to leap. The stag lowered his head, attempting to guard himself with his antlers, but it was too late. The werewolf leaped, slamming into the stag. The stag collapsed under the weight of the 400-pound werewolf, gasping for breath, on the brink of passing out. The werewolf bared his teeth, ready to bite, when suddenly, the dog leaped on top of the werewolf, knocking him off of the stag. The dog and the werewolf began to fight, while the stag tried to keep his eyes open. Only one thing was going through his mind right then. His mind was telling him to change, change back into his human form. Slowly, the stag turned back into James, and even though the sun was peeking over the horizon, all he saw was black.  
  
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Yeah, yeah, it's too short. Oh, well, I'm going to start on the next chapter right away so that this 'suspense-filled' chapter may continue. Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are great!  
  
This chapter is dedicated to my friend Kelsey, who went and.... Well, it's a long story, so I won't bother telling you.  
  
Thanks for reading! 


	10. Spilled Blood

As the sun rose higher into the sky, the werewolf and the dog stopped fighting. The werewolf looked up and stared out the window at the rising sun. Slowly, the werewolf started transforming back into Remus. As soon as he had transformed, he collapsed, weak with exhaustion. Sirius changed back into his human form and rushed over to James, who was lying on the ground, unconscious. Peter poked his head out from under the bed, back in his human form. "What's up? Remus started growling at me, so I hid under the bed and - Oh..." Peter said, watching sight of James. Sirius looked up, concern in his eyes. "Peter, help Remus get up. Then we have to get James to the hospital wing." Peter nodded and kneeled down beside Remus, helping him get to his feet. Sirius watched Peter for a second, then turned back to James.  
  
James' eyes were closed and his breathing was faint. His blood-soaked shirt was ripped, and there was a huge gash where he had hit the back of his head against the sharp corner of an old trunk. Sirius looked up and   
  
noticed Peter and Remus looking down at them. "Oh, god... James... I didn't mean to..." Remus said, his voice apologetic. Sirius shook his head. "It wasn't your fault, you lost control, that's all." Sirius looked back down at James, pulling out his wand. "This was always more of your area of expertise, James... Mobilicorpus." James floated upwards until he was hanging in midair, looking like a ghost.  
  
Sirius, Remus, and Peter started to walk back into the tunnel leading to the Whomping Willow, James drifting along in front of them. Soon they were back on Hogwarts grounds, heading up towards the castle. The boys walked along the dark corridors in silence, occasionally glancing at James, who was looking so... so empty, so lifeless.  
  
Finally, they reached the Hospital Wing. They walked inside and saw Madam Pomfrey sitting at her desk, her back to them. Hearing the boys enter, Madam Pomfrey turned around, saying, "Can I help you? Oh, hello, boys,   
  
haven't seen you since your fight with the Slytherins last week. What brings you he- What happened to James?" Madam Pomfrey's eyes, usually so happy and full of life, turned dark and gloomy. Sirius stared at her sadly,   
  
thinking fast. "Oh, um... he fell down the stairs?" Sirius smiled half-heartedly, trying to make the event sound humorous, not tragic. Madam Pomfrey nodded, her eyes focused on James, who was laying on a bed, unmoving.   
  
After about thirty minutes, Madam Pomfrey had finished her inspection of James. "Well, boys," she said, "James is fine, no major damage. He just has a slight concussion, nothing I can't handle. He'll have to stay here until he wakes up, though. In the meantime, I'll heal his cuts and tend to that disgusting gash on his head. Now, if  
  
you don't mind, it would be best if you would go to sleep now, it's late and you have classes tomorrow." The boys nodded, relieved, but still looked hesitant to leave. "Trust me, if anything happens, you three will be the first to know."  
  
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Sorry it took me so long to write... I went to go see Legally Blonde 2 and Pirates of the Carribean (Orlando Bloom is hot!!!!!!). Also, FanFiction.net was down, or at least it was for me... Anyway, I'll start the next chapter soon! 


	11. Troubles with Lily

The next morning, Sirius woke up to see sunlight flooding through his open window. Rubbing his eyes, he looked over to see James' empty bed. For a fleeting second, he thought that James had gone down to breakfast early, before remembering that James was lying in the Hospital Wing, unconcious. Feeling empty and lost, Sirius got out of bed and started to get dressed.  
  
A few minutes later, Peter and Remus woke up too and began to get ready for the day. The boys dressed in silence, avoiding each others' eyes. When they reached the Great Hall, a few students, all female, looked their way. Some of them stared at Sirius longingly, others eyed each of the boys, obviously wondering why James wasn't with them. The Marauders walked to the Gryffindor table, taking seats across from Lily Evans. Lily looked up at them, noticing that James, for once, wasn't there. She smirked, taking up hte opportunity to insult James behind his back. "Where's little Jamsie?" she asked, "Let me guess. He was doing some spell and it backfired, landing him in the hospital wing." Sirius' hands were shaking violently, his knuckles white from gripping his fork so tightly. "Shut up..." he mumbled, not looking at Lily. She laughed and continued. "Or maybe the idiot wandered into the Forbidden Forest and got himself into a fight with a werewolf!" Sirius stood up so suddenly that his eggs went flying. He glared at Lily before turning on his heel and stalking out of the Great Hall. Lily stopped laughing and turned towards Remus. "What's his problem?" she asked. Remus shook his head, his voice cold. "Just drop it, Lily." Remus, too, stood up and left to find Sirius. Peter, grabbed a piece of toast and followed, leaving a shocked and confused Lily behind.  
  
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Sirius sat in his dormitory with his back against his bed, his arms wrapped around his knees. His eyes were blurred by tears, so it took him a moment to realize who had just entered the room. Remus walked over to Sirius and sat down next to him, putting his arm around his shoulder. "Look, Sirius..." Remus started, but Sirius interupted him. "She doesn't get it! James is lying unconcious, and all she can do is insult him. She doesn't even care about him. If he were to die right now..." Sirius' voice trailed off, and a silence filled the room. Remus took a deep breath and tried again. "Don't tell yourself that Lily doesn't care, Sirius. Of course she cares, she just doesn't know. If she knew what had happened, she wouldn't have said all of those things." Sirius glared at him, anger rising in his chest. "Oh, so now your sticking up for Lily? I thought you were my friend, Moony, but I guess I was wrong. Why don't -" The door to the common room opened and Peter ran in, breathing heavily. "Do you think she knows, Remus? She mentioned getting attacked by -" Peter froze when he saw the scene in front of him. "Why don't you go back to your little girlfriend where you belong, since you obviously don't care about me and James." Sirius hissed, fresh tears pouring out of his eyes. For the second time that day, he got up and walked out of the room, feeling furious at Remus and desperate for comfort.   
  
Peter watched Sirius leave, then turned to Remus. "What just happened?" Remus sighed and told Peter what had happened. "Well, I came up here to tell Sirius that Lily didn't know what she was talking about, but he got mad at me and said I was sticking up for Lily and that I was supposed to be on his side." Peter just stared at Remus, at a loss for words, so Remus started up a new conversation. "So, what were you saying about Lily?"  
  
Peter continued to stare, as though he had no idea what was going through his mind only moments before. Then his eyes lit up in understanding and he started to explain. "Well, Lily seemed to know that James was in the hospital wing, and then she mention an attack by a werewolf, which is what happened..." Peter paused, waiting for Remus' reaction, but he said nothing, so Peter continued. "So I think that Lily knows more than she should, and it wasn't some strange coincidence." Remus was silent for a second, before smiling. "You, know, Peter, you are pretty smart to figure that out." Remus' smile quickly evaporated and was replaced by a frown. "But if that is true, then we need to do something about it." Peter nodded, hoping that Remus already had a plan. Remus remained silent, thinking of a good plan. Finally, he said, "I think we need to find out how much Lily knows."  
  
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Ok, that was a bit longer than most of my chapters, but it's not like that's a bad thing, right? I'm going to start on the next chapter now, and then you can find out about Remus' plan and whats going on in Sirius' head. 


	12. Greenhouse Flirt

Peter nodded. "What's your idea?" "Well, I was thinking that we could talk to Lily during Herbology. We'll just act casual, ask her a few questions. You'll understand soon enough, Peter, just follow my lead." Remus replied. Peter nodded again, not quite understanding the plan. "Ok, sounds good." Peter said, "But we better go, it's getting late and we need to get to class."  
  
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Sirius took his time walking to Herbology. He took so long, in fact, that the bell signaling the start of class rang just as he entered the greenhouse. Remus looked up and tried to catch his eye, but Sirius merely glared at him before walking to the opposite end of the greenhouse and sitting down on the ground. The girl next to him, a tall girl with reddish blond hair and hazel eyes, scooted a teensy bit closer to him. The girl opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment, their Herbology teacher, Professor Sprout, entered the greenhouse and began to explain the day's lesson. "Today we will begin raising our own Fanged Geraniums, as they often appear in your exams. When I say it's alright, find a partner and then come get a Geranium. You and your partner will work togethor for the next two weeks to raise your Geranium. I have plenty of supplies up here if you need them, including fertilizer, plant food, and watering cans. If you need help, refer to pages 36-49 in your textbooks. You may begin."  
  
The greenhouse was soon filled with the sound of voices asking others to be their partner. The red-haired girl next to Sirius instantly turned to him and asked to be his partner. Feeling as though he needed to take his mind off of James and Remus, Sirius accepted. After the girl got their Geranium, they sat down and began to work. After a few minutes of silence, the girl said, "I guess I should intorduce myself. I'm Amanda Jenkins, my father is assistant to the Minister of Magic himself." Sirius smiled half-heartedly, not really caring who she was.  
  
Meanwhile, Remus and Peter had partnered up and situated themselves next to Lily and her partner. Casually, Remus struck up a conversation. "So, Lily, Peter and I were talking, and we wondered how you came up with the 'James getting attacked by a werewolf' idea." Peter, catching on, said, "Yeah, it's not like werewolves just run around on the grounds, do they?" Lily laughed, saying, "No, Peter, they don't. But I would think it would be a bit obvious how I came up with it." Remus' smile faded. "Er... And what would that reason be?" Lily stared at Remus, apparently stunned that he didn't know. "Well, we've been studying werewolves in Defence Against the Dark Arts, so that idea just naturally came to my mind." Remus smiled again, pleased that Lily didn't know anything. "Oh, yeah, good point..."  
  
Amanda and Sirius continued to work, but soon Amanda decided to do a bit of flirting. She moved her hand forwards, acting as though she was reaching for something, but ended up 'accidentally' colliding with Sirius' hand. Sirius turned to Amanda, who giggled and blushed. "I never noticed it before, Siri," she said, adopting a pet name for Sirius, "but you have really beautiful eyes." Sirius looked away, mumbling a thanks under his breath.  
  
At that moment, the bell rang and everyone stood up and hurried towards the door. Over the chatter, Professor Sprout managed to yell out their homework assignment before everybody left. Slowly, Remus and Peter made their way up towards the castle, Sirius walking a few yards behind.  
  
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Yay! This chapter is finally done! Sorry, I didn't like writing this chapter for some reason... Oh, well, maybe the next chapter will be better. I'm not going to do any more of the classes that happen that day and go straight to dinner, where there will be a surprise annoucement. But I shouldn't be spoiling the next chapter.... Just wait! Oh, and sorry fo rthe feeble attempts at flirting, I didn't really know what to have Amanda say in a greenhouse a few minutes after they were introduced! Well, please read and review, I'll start on the next chapter soon! 


	13. Unnerving Dreams

Sirius sat on his bed in the boy's dormitory, trying to work on his Transfiguration essay. The shrill sound of a bell ringing echoed in the room, signaling the start of dinner. From below, Sirius heard the clatter of students putting their stuff away and heading downstairs. Sirius waited until the noise died down before standing up and leaving his room.  
  
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When Sirius entered the Great Hall, he expected to see everyone talking and laughing, but instead he saw everyone silently watching Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster. Professor Dumbledore was standing at the end of the Hall, looking as though he was about to make a speech. Sirius took an empty seat close to the doors leading into the hall so he could eat and leave, avoiding Remus and Peter in the process.   
  
Dumbledore glanced around the room, making sure he had everyone's full atention, then began to speak. "I am pleased to announce that this year, Hogwarts will host its own Christmas Ball. On Christmas Eve, anyone who wishes to come will dance the night away." Dumbledore paused, letting everyone think about what he had just said. "At the end of the ball, students will vote for their favorite couple. The winning couple will lead us in the final dance!" Dumbledore smiled at the audience, then sat down.   
  
Immediately, the Hall burst into life as everyone began to talk about the ball. A group of third-year girls sitting a few places away from Sirius were talking about who they should ask to the dance. The two words most commonly brought up in their conversation were 'James' and 'Sirius.' Barely anyone noticed when the food magically appeared on their plates. Only Sirius, who was sitting alone, seemed to notice. Sirius ate a few bites of food but soon decided he wasn't hungry. After finishing his goblet of pumpkin juice, Sirius went back to the dormitory and fell asleep as soon as his head touched his pillow.  
  
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'Sirius was walking along a cobblestone road in the middle of a forest. Ahead of him walked James, who didn't seem to notice that Sirius was there. Sirius sped up to catch up with James, but James remained the same distance in front of him. Sirius tried to run but it did no good. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Sirius saw a man hiding up in a tree. The man was holding a crossbow and was aiming it straight at James. Sirius tried to shout, to warn him of the danger, but his lips were locked tight. Before his eyes, he saw his best friend in the world collapse onto the ground, an arrow lodged deep in his chest. Sirius ran as fast as he could over to James' body. His eyes were stinging, tears began to stream down Sirius' face. Sirius knelt beside James, hugging his body to his chest. James was barely breathing, and there was nothing Sirius could do. Sirius bit his lip to keep from exploding into tears as James' last breath escaped from his body. He was gone.'  
  
Sirius woke himself up with his screams. He was breathing heavily and sweat was pouring down his face. He heard the rustling of sheets and a muffled voice coming from the bed next to him said, "Sirius, what's going on?" The candles, which had been blown out for the night, flared into life, illuminating the dark room. Remus was sitting up in bed, his wand pointing towards one of the candles he had just lit. Peter was peering out fearfully from under his blankets. Sirius was sitting up as well, looking panic-stricken. "What's going on?" Remus repeated. "You look like you just saw a ghost." Sirius looked over at Remus, his eyes dark and distant. Sirius was clearly scared; his whole body was quivering. "I..." Sirius started. Then he remembered his dream. Jumping out of bed, he ran towards the door. Remus grabbed his arm right as he reached for the doorknob. "Sirius!" Remus half-shouted, "What is going on?!?!" Sirius tried to jerk his arm free of Remus' grasp. "I need to see James!" he cried, fresh tears streaming down his face. "It's four in the morning! Can't it wait?" Remus demanded. Seeing that Sirius was still struggling to get free, Remus added, "Calm down, or I'll hex you."  
  
Sirius took a deep breath. His breathing slowed and his heartbeat was returning to normal. He looked up and met Remus' eyes; they were wide with shock and fear. "Remus, I want to visit James," Sirius whispered, his voice soft and desperate. Remus sighed, then nodded. "Alright, but we need to make it quick. And while we visit him, you have to tell me why you were so upset. Peter, we're going to go visit James. Don't wait up for us," Remus ordered. Sirius grabbed James' invisibility cloak, which was sitting neatly on top of his bed, and threw it over Remus and himself. Then they walked out of the dormitory, through the common room, and into the dark halls.  
  
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Poor Sirius! And did something happen to James? Too bad you won't find out till the next chapter (which I'll start during my next homework break; I have two big projects to work on)! Oh, and sorry about how long it took me to write this. My teachers give me soooooooooooo much homework! I've already had about 10 big assignments in history alone! But I will try to write more as often as possible. Thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers! Hope you like this chapter! ~ Skyfire 


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